Exploring the Option of a New Global Agreement on Marine Plastic Pollution – A Guide to the Issues

©GRID-Arendal/RobBarnes

Building upon the findings of this report, UNEA-2 adopted a second resolution on the issue. The resolution linked efforts to combat marine plastic pollution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 21 and asked UNEP to “undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of relevant international, regional and subregional governance strategies and approaches to combat marine plastic litter and microplastics”. 22 The assessment report, which was presented to UNEA-3 in 2017, concluded inter alia that “the existing global and regional legal landscape for addressing marine plastic litter and microplastics is fragmented and uneven” and presented three legal and policy options for the international community going forward: • Option 1: Maintain the status quo , which would “aim to continue and encourage existing efforts under current instruments

by Member States, secretariats, institutions and other stakeholders for both land- and sea-based sources”. • Option 2: Revise and strengthen existing frameworks , which “could include adopting new instruments specific to marine plastic litter and microplastics under existing conventions and amending existing frameworks and approaches with measures specific to the prevention, mitigation and removal of marine plastic and microplastics”. • Option 3: Adopt a new global architecture with a multilayered governance approach, which would combine “urgent and voluntary measures as outlined in option 2” with the development of a “global binding architecture”. 23

21 Target 14.1 reads as follows: “By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution”. 22 United Nations official document UNEP/EA.2/Res.11 (Marine plastic litter and microplastics, 2016), para. 21. 23 UNEP (2017).

18